Alonso is 1.7 seconds behind Jenson Button and 1.4s ahead of Webber, who is 0.8s ahead of Massa.

Andrea Stella: “You gained three tenths on Webber. Felipe is closing in too.”

Lap 12

Webber pits.

AS: “Webber has stopped and Vettel is also losing ground on Hamilton.”Fernando Alonso: “If you see that Felipe can overtake him in a lap call him in.”AS: “We are thinking about it, concentrate on Button.”

Lap 14

Massa pits.

FA: “How did it work with Felipe?”AS: “He came out behind Webber”

Lap 15

Ferrari tell Alonso to pit on lap 16.

AS: “OK, come in [to the pits] now.”FA: “OK”AS: “You will come out close to Webber. You are in front”.

179 comments on Alonso’s role in Ferrari strategy revealed in pit messages

‘It also shows how Alonso urged the team to use Felipe Massa to hold Webber up.’

wheres that then? he wanted massa in front of webber. but surely thats common sense.

it was just a bad team and in that involves alonso call. it just didnt work out. i think webber was used to dupe ferrari but thats just my opinion it really doesnt matter in the overall scheme of things.

i think ferrari focused on the wrong car.. they were so worried about webber.. and it shows in this radio communication.. they lost all sight of the renaults and mercedes.. use massa to hold off webber.. why?? webber is behind you allready.. your doing what you need for that.. figure out a way to get in front of your competition..

I kind of looked at it as Red Bull somehow knew Ferrari were focusing on Webber and used Webber to distract Alonso, by pitting early, allowing Vettel to win the championship. Given the poor quali attempt from Webber I think they felt Vettel had the best chance, as he did.

Well played strategy for Red Bull. Ashame Ferrari did not run their race, but let Webber dictate it for them.

Does anyone recall Alonso getting quite loose on his in-lap? I think he almost hit the wall. Perhaps the Ferraris were going to struggle on the softs more than most. Okay, maybe they’d recover like the others, but all it took was Webber getting past and it was game over. I still think we’re all benefiting from hindsight and that none of truly know what may have happened.

ESPN Reported that the Petrov & Kubica are using their last engine which is new. That is the main reason why the Ferraris & Mercs had a hard time overtaking them (or can’t overtake them) – they have fresh engines.

But making that call at that time would of been huge. Tho i did think it as soon as the accident happened and i saw rosbeg go i thought he would be the problem, not petrov.

esp as early in the stint fernando seemed happy to just be a second or so in front of webber i didnt to me seem enough

it was only when he started putting the hammer down and close in on button, who was also closing in on vettel/lewis that i started to relax all seemed ok webber was delt with it appeared time to push on….and then they pitted him… i was screaming at ‘tv leave him out! what about rosberg!’

but nevermind they will learn. remember ferrari in 97, 98 and 99 made very similar errors to lose world titles

The problem then is that with Alonso down the order, the other front runners, and Webber, would have stayed out as long as possible on the softs to build enough of a gap. As we saw, the softs were working for almost 30 laps, so it is conceivable that Alonso could have ended up behind all the other front runners.

Agree though that Massa should have been in and pitted, as he would have ended up in a position to really interfere

The problem to overtake Petrov is…. Petrov isnÂ´t Piquet Jr!!! Justice is what we saw last sunday….im so happy for Ferrari (yes, im Ferrari-fan, but team orders is for loosers….and alonso show to the world that he is a spoiled child and a looser). Forza Ferrari, only for Felipe

and just maybe, it would have meant he could have gotten 4th and the title. I think that is the point. Sometimes thinking a lot isn’t what is required, but instead just focusing on simply doing the best job (on track) works better.

I remember after Alonso came out of the pits that Martin Brundle said in commentary that given past experiences Vitaly Petrov would most likely make a mistake anyway and Alonso would have been past. To Petrov’s eternal credit he proceeded to throw egg on everyone’s faces by driving what was pretty much an immaculate race. Alonso just didn’t have the speed to get past the Russian’s Renault and indeed it seemed that it was the Spaniard who was making mistakes born out of frustration.

As for the world championship, the history of F1 is littered with “what if’s”. IF Lauda hadn’t crashed at the Nurburgring he probably would have won in 1976. IF Pironi hadn’t crashed in practice at Hockenheim he probably would have won in 1982. IF Mansell didn’t have a tyre explode here in Adelaide in 1986 he would have won in 1986. IF Webber hadn’t crashed at Korea this year he might have been the Red Bull driver who won the title this year.

All that really matters is the driver who is in front at the end of the season and in 2010, for better or worse, that driver is Sebastian Vettel. Personally I think he’ll be as strong or stronger in 2011, provided RBR are still as strong. He’s a worthy champion IMO. I just hope, as an Aussie, that Mark Webber doesn’t have a down year in 2011 and can go 2 better.

It is only fitting that RB are both constructors and drivers champions as they’ve been at least the equal fastest car at every circuit except Monza and Montreal.

They’ve made their fare share of mistakes, as drivers and as a team, that has let in Macca and Ferrari with a chance that they shouldn’t have really had.

I feel that Webber’s bad start at Spa really did him in mentally as he was never his imperious self of earlier in the season after that race. Mistakes started creeping in at almost every race thereafter and he was generally slower than Vettel. Singapore and Brazil were his only good races after Spa, neither of which he won, of course.

Im an Alonso fan and what i dont understand is why Alonso gave up the fight from the start itself, he should have fought for his postition at the Start he just gave it away so easily that was his turning point …..that was my biggest surprise

That was understandable, given his lead in championship. At the end they played it too safe with their strategy but I don’t think it would have been wise for Alonso to try too hard to retake the position from Button at the start. Why risk crashing when a 4th place finish would do?

Hi! Your analysis JCCJCC is correct in my opinion.
It’s also interesting your final question,and i try to give you an answer.
If you see the time table, for example the two comparison made from F1Fanatic, of Ferrari and Renault lap time,you see that Alonso is faster than Petrov to the 7th laps until the 13th laps, but he slow down to -1.9 seconds at the 7th laps to -0.1 seconds, and on laps 14 Alonso is slower than Petrov for about 0.15 seconds.
So i think that if Alonso were stayed out he remain beheind Petrov, so the championship will be lost at any case.
Mybe the solution were to stop when there was the saefty car, but it was a big risk.
Finally I’am sorry for my English i am italin…:)

“Would you think there is a conspiracy that Torro Rosso & Red Bull ordered to hold back Webber in order for Vettel to win?”

Getting Webber in front of Alonso might have been a bit smarter to help Vettel,wouldn’t you think ?

“You may include the Renaults as well on holding Alonso.”

Renault apologised for Vettel’s engine producing Papal Smoke in Korea and might have had to promise to preserve a fresh engine for RK/VP for the last race, before they could extend their contract with RB.
If that engine would have kept humming to the finish in Korea it would have been a totally different race in Abu Dhabi with SV leading FA by 17 points and MW by 18 points.

Or maybe Renault just didn’t feel like helping the chap they assisted to become a double WDC and has left them twice since.

Hi Keith … well I did tell you a few weeks ago that virtually ALL THE RACES IN FORMULA 1 ARE FIXED AND MANIPULATED and the championship decider in Abu Dhabi on Sunday was no different … in fact it became glaringly obvious to me on Saturday that the lap times in the last two qualifying sessions were undoubtedly massaged and adjusted to produce a start grid that would play-out perfectly for the master manipulators (who virtually control every aspect of F1) and their co-conspirators with what they had pre-planned for the race … yep the MMsâ certainly excelled themselves this time … all orchestrated and executed with ruthless precision to not only prevent Alonso from winning the driversâ championship this year but to ensure that Vettel did win it and that Hamilton and Button were either side of him on the podiums so that McLaren would clinch second in the constructorsâ championship!

Almost gone are the days of the loose wheel nut and/or tampering with the actual cars before the race or during the pit-stops … no the MMsâ have had to become much more subtle and (Shu)machiavellian in recent years and in Alonsoâs case theyâve relentlessly stymied all his efforts and continually tried to break his competitive spirit because heâs just too good … they tarnished his reputation in Budapest 2007 and he has been branded ever since as a dirty rotten cheat … itâs significant too that only Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were found guilty of fixing the outcome of a race while Alonso was their driver (and as a result were both unceremoniously dismissed from Renault) … and we know how they were supposed to have allegedly âfixedâ said race donât we … the only reason that particular episode hasnât been referred to more often (to try and further cast aspersions and sully Alonsoâs reputation) is because the MMsâ donât want to draw too much attention to it lest people realise what really goes on in F1??

Ohh talk about âthe pots calling the kettles blackâ … the constant hypocrisy and double-dealing that abounds … the scheming and plotting … the sheer arrogance of their underestimating our intelligence and making the sore mistake of taking us all for idiots … and by all I donât just mean the fans … I wonder what the sponsors would think if they found out the truth … the King of Spain … all the Sheiks and Princes in Abu Dhabi … all the people who have invested huge amounts of their cash and energy into the sport … like I said before Keith the truth will out in the near future and a lot of people are going to flush with embarrassment and reproach themselves … itâs a can of very nasty worms indeed because weâre talking virtually every race for decades … theyâve just gone one step too far this time and the day of retribution looms!

A few weeks ago I sent you (and many other influential F1 people) the irrefutable proof of Alonsoâs innocence and Ron Dennisâ guilt with regard to the Hungarian pit-stop incident back in 2007 … clearly you all chose to ignore it because before the race in Interlagos we were once again shown on our TVs Alonso stationary (like the proverbial sitting duck) at that pitstop with Hamilton behind him (and Dennis and Whitmarsh looking round from the pit wall) while Martin Brundle reminded us that Alonso deliberately held-up Hamiltonâs last flying lap and that there was no love lost between these two team-mates, etc … a totally indefensible and outrageous lie that keeps getting churned out whenever Alonso has any success or is possibly in with a chance of winning the title (grrr!).

And next season of course they will have the nerve to keep showing us (over and over) the footage of Alonso shaking his fist at Petrov at the end of the race … any other driver vying for the championship and it would have been âunderstandably venting their frustration on Petrov after being trapped behind him for the last 37 lapsâ … but because itâs Alonso they will âmilk it for all itâs worthâ and use it against him at every opportunity … I myself (as Iâm sure many other pro-Alonso fans would agree) can completely understand and empathise with why he temporarily lost his cool at that moment!

What follows is my own personal take on the qualifying sessions and the race in Abu Dhabi and I can confidently state that you will find no other race analysis like it anywhere … Iâm not sure about where your loyalties lie Keith (you could be one of many who are in Ron Dennisâ pocket and/or helping to do the MMsâ dirty work … whether knowingly or unwittingly??) … even so I think you will find my analysis very informative and eye-opening … Iâm hereby accusing the MMsâ of Formula 1 Motorsport (whoever they might be?) of blatantly fixing the outcome of the final race in Abu Dhabi … letâs start with the final two qualifying sessions and dissect how the MMsâ managed to adjust the lap times of the top dozen or so drivers so that they could slot-in their carefully chosen âpawnsâ exactly where they wanted them … the following list applies mainly to the pawns and key players in this race:

1st: Vettel (so that he could sail to victory and the driversâ crown unimpeded)

2nd: Hamilton (no problems with grip or his car this weekend because McLaren need him to gain a podium to
clinch 2nd in the constructorsâ)

3rd: Alonso (there was no way that he could have got 3rd position because he was stuck in traffic and had to slow to find space on his last flying lap but 3rd is where he had been allocated by the MMsâ)

4th: Button (certainly didnât have an undriveable car or problems with grip this weekend for the same reasons as his team-mate Hamilton)

5th: Webber (second time only that Webber was not on first or second row this season … he claimed that he âcouldnât find the paceâ??? … last time he was 5th was to keep Alonso behind him while Vettel charged ahead)

6th: Massa (too little too late from Felipe and still he wasnât able to assist his team-mate in any way, shape or form?)

8th: Schumacher (in the German Mercedes car and strategically placed for his pivotal contribution to the MMsâ plan which would come before the end of the first lap)

9th: Rosberg (another fast driver in the second Mercedes car and also a fellow Countryman of Vettelâs and indeed Schumacher his team-mateâs?)

10th: Petrov (in the Renault which is a cousin car to the Red Bulls as both are powered by Renault engines … the Renault cars are known to have really good traction and have recently gained speed from significantly (and to my mind suspiciously in this race?) successful âupgradesâ?? … this young Russian is hoping to retain his seat for next season … enough said?)

11th: Kubica (first time all season out of the top ten??? … this so that he could choose the harder tyre which would effectively take him far enough in the race to gain a 23-second lead over Petrov and/or Alonso and thereby come out from his pit-stop ahead of them … Kubica was additional insurance in case Alonso somehow managed to get past Petrov and Rosberg … his main role was to steal that crucial 4th place from the championship leader Alonso by the end of the race)

15th: Hulkenberg (not a key player in this race but another German used last time out to slow Alonso … what a long way off from his pole at Interlagos only 7 days previously … notable too that he drives for the British team Williams???)

16th: Liuzzi (the crash king and arch deployer of the safety car for the MMsâ … Iâve lost count of how many incidents heâs been involved in or caused this season which have invariably brought out the SC … his contrived crash in Interlagos when Alonso was directly behind him didnât quite go to plan and stop Alonso from nabbing the 3rd podium so in this race he will be working closely (a bit too closely some might say after) with that maestro of machinations himself Michael Schumacher who will cunningly park his car on the track and await Liuzziâs âunavoidable collisionâ with it?!?)

And there you have it Keith … the scene was all set for Vettelâs victory and Alonsoâs downfall the day before the race but just before I get to the actual race here are some interesting (and perhaps very telling) pre-race comments:

Martin Whitmarsh: âFernando wasnât expected to be in the mix at this stage of the seasonâ … said in discussion with Christian Horner??

Eddie Jordan: âVettel would make a great world champion and ambassador for the sportâ … for about the tenth time this season?

Martin Brundle: âI hope thereâs not an incident at the first corner which will eliminate half of the different permutations and calling the race winnerâ (he says this even though it was he and David Coulthard who demonstrated to us that in Abu Dhabi itâs the widest and easiest first corner on the calendar?)

Brundle again: âKubica is starting on the harder tyre and could become quite a problem for the strategies working for Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari … he may well run a lot longer and could interfere with the run of play because the top ten are all on the softer tyreâ

The following is the race from my perspective to show just how well the MMsâ âarrangementâ panned out … how would I describe it best … like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle … or a dominoe effect … no I think it has to be compared to âmoving the pieces (especially the âpawnsâ) on a chess board one by one to ultimately checkmate the King … Alonsoâ:

Lap 1: Button passes Alonso before the first corner (as intended) so Alonso is 4th … Schumacher deliberately spins his car just after coming around turn 5 (please note: it was subsequently confirmed that there was no contact with Rosberg as was first assumed) and comes to a stop on the left-hand-side of the track facing the oncoming 15 or so cars that are all hurtling round the bend and jockeying for position … every single car manages to avoid Schumacherâs car either on the right side of the track (sometimes two abreast) or a few of them straightening out just after the turn to veer across the very ample run-off area on the left.

I repeat … thatâs 15 cars all steering clear of the stationary Mercedes with the help of a very wide track and run-offs but who drives straight into MS (when you can actually see in slow motion that he too could have swerved left to avoid it) … our old friend the crash king himself Antonio Liuzzi … the MMsâ had to ensure that there was enough debris scattered on the track so that the safety car would be called out … this allowed Rosberg and Petrov (among others) to pit under the safety car for their harder tyres … Martin Brundle immediately tells us that: âRosberg could become a nuisance along with Kubica later on for the leadersâ … also that âthe safety car has really added some spice to the race nowâ?? Please note that turn 5 was the only corner where they could make the crash look realistic and convincing.

Lap 3: Behind the safety car Kubica now up to 10th … Rosberg 17th and Petrov 18th after their pit-stops … the camera goes to Liuzzi and Schumacher who are smiling and chatting as they return along the pitlane to their respective garages … they wave at the spectators above and Schumacher gives Liuzzi a friendly pat on the shoulder as they part (job done!) … Ted Kravitz explains to us why Webber didnât pit early under the safety car as he did in Spa and it was âbecause he needed to be aggressive and attack Alonso on the restart and try to get some distance on himâ, etc. Safety car in at end of lap 5.

Lap 6: Kubica up to 9th, Rosberg 16th and Petrov 17th.

Lap 9: Webber in 5th sandwiched between Alonso 4th and Massa 6th.

Lap 10: Rosberg up to 13th … we are told âWebber has no pace and is not making an impact on Alonso … the Ferrarisâ are quickerâ.

Lap 11: Hamilton is 2nd close behind leader Vettel.

Lap 12: Webber pits for harder tyres and Brundle declares âheâs going to slot back in behind Sutil, Kubica and maybe even Rosberg and they are going to hold up his progress … ohh heâs behind Petrov as well … Mark Webberâs in trouble … the traffic is going to absolutely wreck Webberâs raceâ.

Lap 13: Massa comes in so as to (presumably) get out and hold up Mark Webber but he actually emerges behind Webber?

Lap 14: Alonso does a flying lap to pit and get out ahead of Webber … which he succeeds in doing.

Lap 17: Alonso now 12th and Webber 13th while Vettel and Hamilton are both going longer on their tyres so as not to get caught up in traffic … they need a 22-second gap … Rosberg has already stopped and is now 24-seconds down the road.
Lap 22: Alonso (who has been trapped behind Petrov for the last 8 laps) gets a message to say that itâs critical to pass him (but we all know from last year how difficult it is to overtake on this circuit??).

Lap 30: Ted Kravitz says: âthe faces in the Ferrari garage look like a black Monday as they can see their championship slipping away from them … it was all so silly because Ferrari didnât need to do what they did … if they had just stayed out and mirrored what Hamilton and Vettel did they would be in a much better position nowâ.

Lap 37: Alonso up to 9th due to Hulkenbergâs stop but trailing behind Kubica by 20-seconds … Brundle says: âremember that Renault would probably like to see a world champion today who is powered by one of their engines and at the moment Kubica and Petrov are doing a fine job of holding Alonso back … or rather Kubica could do so in a while.

Lap 39: Button pits and comes out behind Hamilton (and Kubica who has still got to stop) … Button needs a podium for McLaren to come second in the constructors championship.

Lap 41: Ted Kravitz now in the Red Bull garage says: âDr Helmut Margot has done the math and will be sending a crate of champagne to Petrov for helping them out with Alonso … everythingâs going Vettelâs way and the title is slipping away from Alonsoâ.

Lap 43: Alonsoâs engineer Andrea radios him to urge: âuse the best of your talent … we know how big it is … use it!â

Lap 48: Brundle says: âwhat an impact Schumacher and Liuzziâs contact down there in turn 5 has had on the world championship … bringing out the safety car which allowed some of the mid-fielders to pit early and put them into playâ

Lap 51: After 50 laps of Webber trailing behind Alonso he suddenly gets a radio message urging him to try and get past Alonso??

Lap 55: Vettel wins (as was always intended from day one), Hamilton and Button conveniently get their podiums for McLarenâs second in the constructors and Kubica, Petrov and Rosberg coming home 4th. 5th and 6th proved to be three well-chosen and stalwart safety buffers who succeeded in denying Alonso his driversâ championship crown … job done!

All this thanks to the cunning and covert strategies devised by the MMsâ and their co-conspirators who were counting on Ferrari to react to Webberâs pit-stop … Mark of course played the part of the pied piper to get Alonso to follow him into the pits … he never intended to win this race or even try to get past Alonso and he certainly never had a ratâs hope in hell of winning the driversâ championship himself … neither did Alonso who got well and truly stuck behind Vitale Petrov for the last 35 laps of the race … the whys/wiles and wherefores are many and I havenât got time to discuss them here but will end by telling you that:

Mark Webber post-race told Lee McKenze: âwe came in early for the harder tyre which obviously hurt Fernando because he had to cover me off … so in a way I suppose it was a bit of a team effort but I didnât get the result I wantedâ. Notably Webber didnât put in an appearance at the Red Bull celebrations later in the day as far as I am aware … make of that what you will??

It was also conspicuous that Felipe Massa was nowhere to be seen after the race and wasnât asked for his opinion … nor any of the Ferrari team members (if I remember rightly?).

And so Keith … the âpied piper ployâ won the day for Vettel (and Red Bull) and âI rest my caseâ … Iâm now in the process of circulating this information to as many people as possible but at a later date it will be edited and amended to become a chapter in my book … until my tome is published I will continue to collect even more compelling evidence and unputdownable fodder for the fans next season … like I warned before Keith inevitably the MMsâ will come to regret their cheating and corruption and many F1 personnel will be losing their jobs and livelihoods as a result of it … what a boring and tedious final race when it could have been spectacular … a tragic waste of talent out there on the track that we werenât allowed to see … very sad??